MIDTERM INTERVENTION POSTER:
I chose gun violence as my issue for raising awareness, specifically the Bondi Beach tragedy. The community I would like to dedicate my project to is the local Bondi community and the Australian Jewish community.
On December 14th, 2025, two gunmen, a father and son, opened fire on the Jewish community at a well-known cultural festival (The Hanukkah by the Sea Festival) on Bondi Beach in Australia. In approximately 10 minutes, over 40+ people were injured and 15 were killed, including a 10-year-old little girl named Matilda. Inspired by ISIS ideology, this vile terrorist attack was planned months in advance, with 2 shotguns, 1 rifle, 3 pipe bombs, 1 tennis ball bomb, and 1 IED being found in their car after the attack. Ahmed El Ahmed, in a snap decision, ran out and managed to wrestle the firearm out of the gunman's grip and force him to the ground. Ahmed, despite receiving multiple bullet wounds, managed to stop the shooter and save numerous lives.
This tragedy raised serious questions on national security, extremism, and community resilience. There were critical flaws in policing and event security, a lack of already requested police presence, and inadequate monitoring of the subject, Naveiv Aram, from intelligence agencies. Gun violence shows the immediate danger and trauma that gun-related incidents can cause in communities.
Ahmed El Ahmed is a hero, not only because he disarmed the gunmen and saved countless lives at the expense of his own safety, but also because of the humanity he holds in his heart. He chose not to shoot the attacker at that critical moment, instead focusing on disarming the gun rather than killing him. Something he said in his interview seriously stuck with me. The interviewer asks, “Why didn’t you shoot him?” and he replies, “Because I’m a human being, and I don’t want to put my hand in blood.” It was an emotional answer to hear. He refused to take a life, even the perpetrators'. His moral conscience rejected violence. The courage of Ahmed El Ahmed inspired me to create something based on his heroism and intervention in the face of crisis.
I chose to portray my project through a digital poster (printed). The design shows an open palm in response to a closed fist, conveying the idea of using mercy as a weapon against violence. I used colors inspired by other works in my research. I placed my project in a public park setting on a light pole for others to read as a means to raise resistance and awareness of the idea. Two works I used as inspiration in the actual design of the poster were Olafur Eliasson's installation artwork "One-Way Colour Tunnel” and his other work, "Your Uncertain Shadow.” In the history of protest, change occurs when individuals have the courage and bravery to act. In the readings, Stefanie Graf states, "When the public is looking away from suffering that could be prevented or does not want to be confronted with it, activist art often creates a dialogue and forces people to think about these problems." " Activist art takes extreme issues and puts them in public spaces where they cannot be ignored, like the park I chose, which is the necessary step to demanding change and uniting people together. Another quote I felt related to this was from Global Citizen, stating, "In every fight for justice there is a story to be told.” Art provides a medium for storytelling and evoking empathy. Art activism makes stories visible and impossible to ignore.
Inspired Works:
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